MBABANE – Madlangampisi Member of Parliament (MP) Allen Vilane has suggested that the national scholarship application process be decentralised and carried out at tinkhundla centres to make it more accessible, particularly for students from rural areas.

Vilane made the proposal during the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s Second Quarter Performance Report debate before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee. He said that allowing applications to be submitted at tinkhundla centres would help ensure that vulnerable students, especially those with limited access to the internet, receive the necessary support when applying for government scholarships.

In response, the ministry said it would look into the feasibility of the proposal but highlighted potential logistical challenges.

“The ministry notes that some of these initiatives may be stalled due to the lack of systems integration at the tinkhundla centres. Such systems are crucial in establishing efficiencies and economic support for students during the application stage and beyond,” the ministry stated.

According to the Government Scholarship Scheme, eligible applicants are those who have received acceptance letters from universities or colleges in Eswatini or in certain Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries—namely Botswana, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Kenya. (South Africa and Namibia are excluded from the scheme.)

Currently, scholarship applications are submitted online through the Scholarship Application System
. Applicants are required to provide valid high school certificates and acceptance letters, and they are encouraged to consult the Government Priority List of study programmes, available on the ministry’s website and Facebook page, before applying.